Uzumaki Nahiko
by Fenix Maelstrom
Summary: The fourth gave his life to seal the Kyuubi away and spare his village. But they refuse to see his legacy as a hero...and his daughter must suffer because of it. Even so, she's determined to earn their respect and become the greatest Hokage of all time.
1. Chapter 1

There were firecrackers going off down the street, and the sounds of laughter and music could be heard throughout most of the village. It was October 10th: The Kyuubi Festival. It was on this day 10 years ago that the Fourth Hokage had slain the monsterous nine tailed demon fox, the Kyuubi. But not everyone was celebrating...many of the inhabitants of the village settled for drinking their sorrows away. This day was more than a holiday for many...it was a day of mourning. But for a select few others, it was a day of vengence.

It was common knowledge among the elder ninja that nine tails was, in fact, not destroyed, but sealed away. The host of the beast? A young, blue-eyed, blonde haired girl by the name of Uzumaki Nahiko. And at this very moment, she was missing...and this was never a good sign...

She sprinted down the alleyway, barely managing a glimpse behind her, hoping to outrun her attackers. She'd been running through these alleys for years now...ever since she'd been forced out of the orphanage. For some reason, the villagers would always chase after her on her birthday, screaming obscenities at her and calling her a monster. Why? Why would they always cast her vile glances and try to hurt her? She had no time to ponder this thought...if she didn't focus on where she was going, she'd likely run into a dead end...and she hated to think what the men might do once they got their hands on her.

She'd managed to evade them for five years now...sure they'd get a few lucky shots in, but that was it...and most of those came from things that they threw at her. She'd been navigating the alleys for such a long time that she was confident she could lose them...but this year, it looked like not all of them were drunk...and some of those villagers were unnaturally quick on their feet. She knew there were ninja mixed in...and she couldn't afford to stumble. She might not make it out alive.

Unfortunately for her though, Murphy's Law found her to be the perfect victim. Just as she made to turn to another alleyway, a man jumped from the shadows and planted his foot into her gut, sending her flying into a dead end. She'd barely managed to get her wind back when she was lifted up by her hair and a kunai knife was slid down her front, slicing her shirt in half.

"How about we teach this demon bitch some humility, eh boys?" the man called to the villagers gathered behind him.

With a swift thrust, Nahiko was pinned to the wall by her throat. He quickly removed his hand from her throat and held one of her hands against a wall, and impaled it, sticking her to it. Her scream couldn't be heard...the festival was too loud...or so the men thought. As the men began to argue about who would go first, a young pale-skined boy ran up to her and pulled the knife free. She hit the ground screaming in agony, the tears clearly plastered to her face.

"How dare you!" the boy yelled, turning on his heel to face the mob, "You don't do this to a lady!"

"And who do you think you are, telling us what to do, boy?" a man called from the group.

The boy lifted his head to reveal pale, silvery eyes. There was a unanimous murmur through the mob...they knew who this boy...this Hyuuga...was. He was Hyuuga Hiro, first born son of Hyuuga Hiashi, and heir to the Hyuuga Main house. And where the Hyuuga heir could be found, there were likely Branch bodyguards nearby. Today was an exception though. Hiro's escort today was Hiashi himself.

The Hyuuga head landed softly in front of his son, glaring at the mob with enough intensity to cause many of them to scatter. Too bad they didn't realize he'd had branch members cover all possible escape routes.

"What is wrong with you people!?" Hiashi harshly stated in a rhetorical question, "She's a little girl, and the first thing you do when you get her alone is try to force her into submission!?"

"She's no girl! She's not even human! We should kill her now before..."

The man didn't get to finish his statement before his head rolled.

"Do you forget?" Hiashi asked the mob, his voice growing ever colder, "That we are a military state? The word of the Hokage is law, and the punishment for disobeying his orders is death. We are shinobi, and we hold to the laws of our leader. We are each his weapons before we are even human. Does anyone else wish to lose nine pounds of useless meat today?"

The mob broke apart, many of them screaming...of course their screams may have been caused by the branch house members being a little...forceful with them. Hiashi bent low beside his son and the crying girl.

"Nahiko? I am Hyuuga Hiashi," the elder man stated, "I'm here to help you. Climb on to my back so I can take you to the Hokage, alright?"

The girl nodded her head and stopped cradling her bleeding hand to climb onto the older Hyuuga's back. When she was well and settled on tightly, the man took his son in his free right arm, and the three lept to the rooftops.

-----

"This is getting ludacris," Hiashi stated, obviously flustered.

"Agreed. The men that did this to Nahiko will be punished severely...what of the man that instigated it?" an older man asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"He broke your decree of silence, Hokage-sama. I ended him."

"Ah. So be it."

The older man looked over to the sleeping form of Uzumaki Nahiko. The girl had been put through so much for being so young. From the day of her birth people had been trying to kill her. Now that she was older and beginning to physically mature, he was terrified that she may lose her innocence in the worst possible way.

"Hiashi, can I make a request of you?" the old Hokage stated after a brief moment of silence.

"What is it, Hokage-sama?" the clan head responded, watching his son glance over at Nahiko curiously.

"I cannot allow Nahiko to live with any one clan...you know this...else she would have been moved into the Hyuuga compound quite some time ago, but could I ask that you spare a few select shinobi for the purpose of guarding her from the shadows? Even if you can only spare one a day, your help would be greatly appreciated. I fear many in the village, and many under my command, still feel as though this innocent girl is nine tails."

"I will see what I can do, Hokage-sama. Many in the Hyuuga clan are still indifferent to Nahiko, so I'm certain I can find a few shinobi to fit your expectations. I'll bring them by tomorrow morning."

"Very well...and thank you, Hiashi."

"Nahiko holds a special place in my heart to, Hokage-sama...though for me, it wasn't her that created that space. It was a young blonde man with great ambitions and an even greater concept of honor."

"Of course, Hiashi. You can leave Nahiko here for tonight. I'll take her home when I'm done with my paperwork. Thank you for everything today."

"Don't mention it, Hokage-sama, it is my duty and honor to serve."

-----

Nahiko woke several hours later in her own apartment. She couldn't remember when she fell asleep, but seeing as it was nighttime now, she figured she'd been asleep for a few hours. She reached across her bed onto the nightstand and grabbed a leatherbound notebook. She rolled over, away from the window and clutched the notebook close. It was her lifeline...the only reason she hadn't gone insane yet. And tomorrow she was going to fill a few more pages. But first, she needed to get some sleep. Her first day at the ninja academy was in less than ten hours.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're not in the comfort of your own homes anymore, kids!" the man practically screamed to the gathered crowd, "Here, if you cry mommy, you leave. You're here to become ninja, not to be babysat."

The gathering was located in the training grounds of the Academy, the place where children would go for their ninja training. There were no adults present save for the chuunin instructors, and even they were few and far between.

"I do not like to repeat myself," the man continued, "So if you hear me say something, jump to it. I don't expect you all to conform to my ways overnight, but I do expect it to be done...and quickly. The faster you conform, the happier I am...and you will want me happy. The next thing you should know is that this place isn't fun and games; you will learn to kill people here...not treat them as friends, not try to negotiate with them...kill them. Many of you don't know what that means yet, but I assure you, by the time this first month is over, you will."

The man tilted his head slightly in a bow and paced away from the center of the stage to his seat. The man who replaced him was slightly older and stood a good foot shorter.

"I will be your training coordinator. I can promise you now that you won't like the majority of the training that you're going to be doing, but there are many aspects that will be fun and entertaining. After you've completed certain parts of your training, there will be a competition of sorts pertaining to that certain aspect. The winner will get a prize of their choosing, among those we've set aside for such an event, and the second place will then pick theirs and so forth. So there is definitely incentive to improve your skills, and there will be competition that will help you improve."

"But first," the elderly ninja commented as the students began murmuring, "We get to do the thing I love most, and many of you will hate most...we're seperating the mass of you into pairs to spar."

At this many students gawked and started to complain, "Silence! You will not argue! You do it or you leave and don't come back!" Silence quickly spread as teachers began taking groups of ten to watch over. "This is not meant to humiliate anyone, it's merely for us to know where you stand on a basis of ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. I know that some of you come from ninja clans..." many of the students turned their heads to their instructor at this, "And we will be doing our best to pair you off with another clan member, so don't take your opponent lightly because you know a little bit of ninjutsu. Now, you're individual instructors will be keeping an eye on you and will tell you when to begin you individual matches. Remember that this match will have an obvious outcome on your future, as will every other match you take part in. I wish you luck."

- - -

Nahiko stared at her teacher for a moment before she turned her head to the rest of the group. Many looked as nervous as she felt, but there were a few who didn't even seem bothered; she had to assume those were children from clans.

"Alright," their teacher spoke up, "I'm going to be pairng you off in groups of two for this...first up, Hybusa Takenao and Imura Haisho." The two boys shakily took their place in front of their instructor. "I want a good clean fight. All techniques are allowed, including those which would cause severe damage to your opponent. If I find your technique could easily maim the other, I will step in and dispel the jutsu before allowing the match to continue. The jutsu will be held in regard to the outcome of the match and you will be scored that much higher for having successfully performed it. Now, if you'll take your places..."

The two boys stepped a few paces from their techer in opposite directions.

"And...begin!"

Neither of the boys attacked at the signal, apparently sizing each other up. What happened next was something that Nahiko logged in her memory, and later her journal, as one of the most pathetic fights she had ever seen. One hit from Takenao landed Haisho in dreamland and Nahiko on the ground crying from laughter. It was at that moment that she dubbed Haisho as the 'One hit wonder'. Unfortunately, her teacher didn't find the match as entertaining as she did, and made sure to grind that fact into her skull.

A sword impaled the ground where her head would have rolled next, scaring the laughing fit out of her. "Did you think that was funny, girl?" the man asked, the disdain in his eyes apparent. Nahiko nodded her head, knowing it was rather pointless to argue it. "The let's see how you do!" the instructor spat with malice. Before she knew it, she was standing in the same spot Haisho had been before facing her opponent. She had the unfortunate disposition of being paired against one of the boys seeing as there were only three girls in her group.

"You won't always be fighting against enemy kunoichi, girl," the instructor informed her, "Sometimes you'll be forced into a match where you are outmatched physically and have to use your wits, and even then, you may be forced to flee. Begin whenever you're ready."

The boy Nahiko had been placed against lurched forward to begin his assault, but as Nahiko pulled away from his attack to lessen the blow, she realized he was holding back. With a quick maneuver, she smacked his fist to the side and slammed her knee into his gut. As he hit the ground holding his stomache she felt he needed some encouragement.

"Don't hold back against me! I might be a girl, but I'm still an opponent! Fight me! Fight me for real!"

The boy stood up shakily, still recovering from the blow, "Fine, I'll fight you for real...but don't blame me if you get hurt."

The boy lunged forward once again, this time much faster than before, and Nahiko was forced to take the defensive. Several decisive kicks and punches later, Nahiko was certain that the boy was, in fact, no longer holding back. She found that her arms and legs agreed with her completely; his attacks hurt. Luckily, a few swings later and a well placed counter landed her on the offensive.

"One," she counted as she hit a point on his shoulder, causing him to wince.

"Two," she stated as she swept his legs out from under him, causing him to topple onto his back from her first reeling blow.

"Three!" she practically screamed, twisting her body at an impossible speed to flow through with her third strike. Her foot struck home on the boy's chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Nahiko rolled with her third hit to continue her assault, but found her instructor in between her and her opponent.

"It's clear who the winner of this match is," the man affirmed, lifting up the boy and ushering the two of them back to the group.

- - -

"Where did she learn that?" a huge, clean-shaven man asked.

"I'm going to have to say it was probably by accident," a man with a weasel mask on his face replied slowly, "It looks very similar to basic ANBU martial arts...only changed up a bit to fit her body structure. That specific combinations of attacks is used to incapacitate enemies long enough to get them in a choke-hold. I figure if she'd been given a few more moments, the boy'd be out like a light."

"You're saying she learned that watching an ANBU fight?"

"Actually, Ibiki, it's more likely she learned it by glancing back when an ANBU was defending her from a pursuer."

The two men landed and crouched in the shade of the tree they'd used as a perch for the match.

"So, why are you here?" the black-clad weasel ANBU dared to ask, "Aren't you leaving to gather data on Iwa tonight? Shouldn't you be packing?"

"I thought I'd check in on Nahiko and make sure the instructors were treating her fairly first. My packing's done, and I wanted to see the level she was at before I left. I'm going to be gone for quite some time. I want to see how she improves."

"I understand. Don't worry, I'll have a constant watch on her. Hyuuga-san has ordered several of his branch guards to keep an eye on her, but the Hokage has asked me personally to watch her as well. We can't guarentee the absolute loyalty of Hyuuga-san's ninja and, until we can, it's still ANBU's job to keep her out of harm's way."

- - -

"This is our weapons training grounds," the instructor stated to Nahiko and her group, "Here you will learn to use Kunai, Shuriken, and Senbon. The majority of you will stick with the first two, while a few of you may find senbon more convenient that Kunai."

The students were quickly filed in line and ordered to throw two of each weapon.

"This is not the time when you will be forced to pick your weapons. You will never be forced to use any one of these, but you will learn to use them all," the man proclaimed. "In front of you are three mokujin, each with a picture of the projectile you are to use taped above their heads. You are to attempt to hit one of the two body targets, with that weapon."

The group did horribly, Nahiko included; she didn't even hit the dummy...earning her a snide remark from one of the other kids. The last girl walked up to her line and grabbed all six of the weapons. With a flick of her wrist the Kunai went flying towards their target, and the instructor's eyes went wide. A second jerk, and the shuriken were hurdled towards their own destination, and the teacher's frow furrowed. The final two weapons, both senbon, found their own hands and, in a single deft motion, were pinned through the middle of each of the targets on the third Mokujin. The teacher's mouth dropped.

A few moments after the girl took her place back in the group, the teacher got control of his bearings and, with a quick 'very good' to his students, led the group out of the weapons grounds and toward their next destination.

- - -

"Who is that?" Ibiki had to ask after his long whistle at the girls performance.

"The little brown-haired girl?" the ANBU asked.

"Yeah, the one that nailed bulls-eye on all the targets."

"Don't know, but from the looks of her eyes, I'd have to say she is from the Rein clan."

"Rein? I don't think I've heard of them before..."

"They come from Mist. If I'm correct, that girl's name is Akiaya, and she'd the first of the Rein clan born in Konoha."

"Mist...aren't they raged in a bloodline war right now?"

"That's right...and now you know why they're here. We know they hold a bloodline, but only the Hokage knows what it can do. As far as I've been informed, it only manifests in a few select individuals each generation, so while ANBU's been told to keep an eye on them, their Kekkei Genkai isn't at treat of being stolen. If I'm right, Tora's keeping tabs on them at the moment."

"I see...do you think their bloodline has anything to do with weapons?"

"I doubt it...again, it only manifests in select individuals, so one would have to assume that they each get the kind of training little Akiaya here has had since birth. I, personally, couldn't even begin to guess what kind of bloodline they have. The only thing I do know is that it has absolutely nothing to do with the eyes."

"Spoken like a true dojutsu user, Weasel."

"Watch it, I'm still in ANBU garb. There's no giving away my identity right now...no telling who might be listening."

- - -

"Alright, next, you will each be put under a genjutsu...don't worry, it can't hurt you, but it might scare you nonetheless. This is going to be a weak, C ranked Genjutsu, so it's more than likely that none of you will be able to break it. All you have to do is put you hands in the ram seal," the man showed them the seal, "then focus your chakra into it and yell 'Kai'." "Got it?" the man stated more than asked.

The students quickly put their hands in the seal the man had shown them. The instructor made several hand seals and upon completion stated, "Genjutsu: Nightmare's Door". The majority of the students completely abandoned their hand seal and started screaming and running about, most of them hitting the floor crying. As the instructor walked around and dispelled the jutsu, he came upon the familiar face of Imura Haisho. The boy was just standing there, gawking at the sight of the students.

"What happened to them, Sensei?" the boy asked.

"Didn't the Genjutsu have an affect on you?" the teacher asked, wide-eyed...he'd gotten many surprizes today, but this had to top them.

"Is that why they're crying? I heard you call out the genjutsu, but I thought you accidently overloaded it...it didn't hit me at all..."

- - -

"A natural resistance to Genjutsu? He's going to be a top notch Genjutsu specialist alright..." Ibiki stated.

"That explains why he went down with one shot..." Weasel agreed, "I seriously doubt his Taijutsu will improve enough to reach anywhere near his classmates, but he should have a lot of talent in the Genjutsu and Ninjutsu area."

"This is strange though...according to Mizuki, that was a low C ranked Genjutsu."

"It probably was...it's not unheard of for Genjutsu users to have a natural resistance to certain types of Genjutsu...I wonder how he'd hold up to Kurenai's?"

"I doubt he would...the woman's better at Genjutsu than any other I've seen to date."

"Well this is interesting...we've already got a good glimpse at a future team..." Weasel stated with a smile, though Ibiki had no chance of seeing it through the mask, "Uzumaki Nahiko, a taijutsu specialist, Rein Akiaya, a weapons specialist, and Imura Haisho, a Genjutsu specialist...I can see some potential, but what do you think the academy will chose?"

"Honestly...I doubt they'd put Nahiko in a class with people her calibur...especially with Mizuki there. All we can do is wait and see..."


	3. Chapter 3

"Hokage-sama, you called for me?" the Weasel ANBU stated more than asked.

"Yes, Weasel...one moment..." the older gentleman with the Kanji for fire one his large white hat stated. The older man man several quick hand seals before placing his hand on one of several white ribbons along his walls.

"There," the older man continued, "the silencing Jutsu is set up. You may remove your mask Itachi."

The ANBU quickly removed his mask and, in one deft motion, had it sealed inside a scroll on his waist.

The older man stared at the man before him. He couldn't be older than fifteen but had already proven himself in battle and war.

"I assume you've called me about my charge, sir?" Itachi asked, his black eyes locked in place as he stood at attention.

"You can relax, Itachi."

"Hai, Hokage-sama..."

The older man's gaze fell soft as he continued the topic.

"Yes, I have called you here about your charge. How did she do today?"

"She managed to surprise everyone, sir. It turns out she managed to memorize a bit of one of our ANBU's martial arts at one point in time."

The Hokage's eyes widened, "She didn't use it on another student, did she?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama, she did."

The older man's brow furrowed; it was obvious this topic brought him a great deal of stress.

"But," Itachi continued, catching the Hokage's attention, "She changed it tremendously. Her body isn't built for the specific style she managed to copy, so she twisted it around until she found a proper variant."

"I see," the Hokage quickly responded, obviously freed from his previous stress, "Do you know what sort of ANBU martial arts she copied?"

"Mine, sir."

The pipe in the Hokage's mouth fell to the ground with a clatter.

Nahiko was sitting outside the Academy, watching the children leave with their parents, when she felt an unfamiliar presence beside her. She quickly turned her head and noticed one of the girls that was in her group sit down beside her.

"May I help you?" Nahiko asked, earning her a glance from her companion.

"Just sitting..." the brown haired girl replied.

For a few moments, the two girls sat in silence, but both of them could hear the whispers among the parents in the crowd.

"My name's Akiaya," the girl finally stated, turning to face the blonde.

"I'm Nahiko," Nahiko replied slowly, turning her eyes to her companion, "It's nice to meet you."

Akiaya smiled at Nahiko's politeness before her face turned back into a frown, "I hear all the names the villagers call you..."

Nahiko turned her head back to the crowd of, now leaving, students and parents.

"I don't know why..." Nahiko spoke out in a whisper, "They hate me..."

It was at this time that Akiaya decided to actually size up Nahiko...and she didn't like what she was seeing. The girl seemed so happy earlier, but she could tell that it wasn't so. Her body was in fine condition, but it was as though someone had destroyed her emotionally...until her eyes settled on Nahiko's hand. There was a thick red-ish white mark on the top of her hand and, as she moved positions, she noticed it was on her palm too. Akiaya quickly realized that Nahiko's torment wasn't just on the inside.

"Come on!" Akiaya nearly yelled as she pulled Nahiko to her feet by her arm, "My parents are making a big dinner tonight, and they said I could bring a friend if I wanted!"

"But..." Nahiko tried to argue, "But..." Akiaya was pulling Nahiko along too quickly for her to argue; she had to focus more on how not to fall from the tugging.

Neither of them noticed the black-clad, tiger masked ANBU following them from the treetops.

"Mom! Dad!" Akiaya yelled out as she and Nahiko entered the clan residence, the latter rather unwillingly, "I've brought a friend from school over!"

Nahiko was staring open-mouthed at the sight. Sure, the Rein housing grounds weren't as big as the Uchiha and were nowhere near as luxurious as the Hyuuga, but the place held it's own quality to it that made it seem almost mystical.

The first thing Nahiko noticed was the slope that led to the main grounds. There were trees lining the walls of the compound, but other than those, it was a large plain. As Nahiko looked up, she noticed the place was actually located in the perfect position to avoid direct sunlight, thus blanketing the area in a slight shadow. As she made her way down the hill with Akiaya, she realized the air was moist, and finally felt the need to speak her thoughts...but Akiaya beat her to it.

"My family came here from the Land of Mist. That's why it feels so cool over here. Our grounds-man pours chakra into the lake in front of the manor to produce a certain amount of mist, keeping our compound a good ten degrees cooler than the rest of the village."

Akiaya turned her head in time to see Nahiko's mouth close, causing her to giggle.

"Good to see you're home sweety," Akiaya's mom called out as the two walked in the door of the main compound, "Who's your friend?"

"Her name's Nahiko," Akiaya stated as her mom finally came around the corner to greet them.

"Oh?" the woman asked as she finally turned her gaze to meet Nahiko, "And what's your...clan...name..."

Akiaya's mother was staring at Nahiko with eyes the size of saucers. "Tauru!" she called out, and as the man rounded the corner, she heard Akiaya call out to him.

"Hey, daddy!"

The man ran up to her and lifted her in the air. "Hey there princess! How was the academy?"

"It was great; I made a new friend today!"

"Oh, and who is it?" the dark haired man turned his gaze to Nahiko, and his eye visibly widened before he returned to his warm gaze.

"My name is Nahiko..." Nahiko admitted while bowing low.

"Uzumaki," the man finished for her. His warm smile never faltered.

"How did you...?"

"I'm afraid that's a secret," the man replied with his smile. He turned his head to his daughter, "Princess, why don't you take Nahiko with you and lend her one of your Kimono for dinner. We have a very special guest tonight."

"Of course, daddy!" she replied, dragging Nahiko away with her.

"It's been nearly half an hour..." Nahiko complained, trying not to grab her rumbling stomache, "Are Kimono really this complicated?"

Nahiko was currently standing with her arms extended to her sides while Akiaya was setting the kimono on her properly.

"Yes," Akiaya quickly responded, a small smile on her face, "A kimono is the epitome of beauty...it shows that you can take the time and show patience...it shows that you are truely dedicated...it is common practice among clans to have cerimonial tea parties where all attending parties have to dress in kimonos."

"Wait, everyone has to wear one of these?" Nahiko asked with wide eyes, "Yes, and many of them dress themselves."

"Ah, please come in Hokage-sama!" Tauru declared after opening the door, "You're a few minutes early...Mikoto is still working on supper."

"After receiving your invitation, I couldn't help but feel the need to be punctual, Tauru-san; it's not often that I get an invitation to supper from a clan head," the older man clarified, removing his signature Hokage hat.

"I see...well, I hope that we can live up to your expectations, Hokage-sama. Mikoto knows several recepies that are unique to the different nations...she's quite proud of them."

"And I'm sure they will be as delicious as they are unique," the Hokage complimented.

"Daddy!" Akiaya called from the back, beckoning her father.

"And I am to assume that is your daughter, Tauru-san?" the Hokage asked.

"Yes...pardon me for a short while, Hokage-sama, it seems she needs me for something. I assume she and her friend need some help with their kimono," Tauru guessed, sliding open a side door, "Please make yourself at home. Mikoto or I will return in a moment."

With that, he slid the door closed and made his way to his daughter's room.

"What is it, princess?" he asked as he popped his head in the door. What he saw made him gawk.

There, standing in the place of his daughter and Nahiko, were two beautifully dressed geisha lookalikes. Akiaya had on a deep blue kimono that a large wave crashing to the ocean embroidered on the back with an even darker sash wrapped around her waist. Her naturally dark brown hair was in a low ponytail, while her face was covered in white. Her dark blue eyes shone out against her pale skin.

To her right, Nahiko was wearing her bright blonde hair in two pig-tails that trailed down to her hips. She was sporting a pure white kimono with a blooming Sakura tree on the back...its falling petals embroidered as though they were blowing with the wind; around her waist was a dark pink sash that matched the color of the petals perfectly. Her bright blue eyes which would have naturally clashed with the color of the kimono instead accented the pale white that was painted on her face.

All in all, the girls looked stunning.

"..."

"Daddy?" Akiaya asked.

"..."

"Daddy...?"

"..."

"Close your mouth, daddy...:

"...Oh! Sorry..." Tauru nearly exclaimed, "You two look stunning!"

"Thank you..." Nahiko barely managed to word out, blushing slightly from the compliment.

"Thanks daddy!" Akiaya yelled out, running up and hugging the man, "But I think something's missing on Nahiko's Kimono. It looks great...but I think something's missing."

Tauru closely examined Nahiko's kimono, circling her.

"Hmm...nothing's missing from the kimono...oh wait!" he called out, before he left the room.

A few minutes later he returned, handing a small box to Nahiko.

"These are for you," he stated while handing them to the girl, "They belonged to a friend of mine when she was a girl."

Nahiko opened the box to find two shiny pairs of brass bells...her face immediately contorted so she wouldn't start crying.

'I thought so...' Tauru thought to himself, a frown gracing his lips.

"...Thank you..." Nahiko whispered as she clutched the box close to herself.

"Don't be shy now," Tauru complained, a smile gracing his lips once again, "Let's see how they look!"

Nahiko took the bells out of the box and tied them to her pig-tails.

"There we go..." Akiaya and Tauru said in unison, "That's what was missing..." Akiaya finished.

"Alright girls, come on," Tauru stated, motioning to the door, "Our guest is waiting."

The girls followed him all the way to the kitchen until he stopped them at the door.

"Wait out here until I open the door, alright girls?"

Nodding their heads in compliance, Tauru slid open the door, walked through, and slid it shut.

"I'm sorry about the wait, Hokage-sama," the man apologized, noting that his wife had finished cooking and was sitting adjacent to the older man.

"I't no trouble at all, Tauru-san, your lovely wife was just explaining to me the finer details of the Mizu Quiche she's serving tonight."

The man smiled warmly at his wife; she was always proud of her cooking, and so much so that they'd never had to hire a cook.

"Ah, in that case, I hope I'm not interrupting, but my daughter was hoping to introduce herself at this time."

"Oh, of course not," Mikoto replied happily, "I just finished the more basic details of it, but if I told him everything, he'd have nothing left to look for when he tastes it."

"A treat I'm thoroughly looking forward to," the elder replied.

"In that case..." Tauru turned to the slider door he'd just passed through and tapped it twice, signalling the girls, "I would like to introduce to you our daughter, Rein Akiaya, and her friend, Uzumaki Nahiko.

Sarutobi was no fool; he was absolutely certain that the Rein clan had heard of the village outcast and more than likely why she was considered so. The aged Hokage had ordered her status as a Demon Host classified with the highest penalty of punishment, but it didn't stop the information from leaking to the adults of the village. So far Nahiko was the worst kept secret in the world.

But as his mind began to run through the reasons she would be in the Rein household, it stopped the moment he heard a young girl squeal and the word 'Jiji' pierce through the air...and was promptly tackled.

"Hello there Nahi-chan," the old man greeted, prying the girl off him, "I didn't expect to see you here!"

"I...didn't really expect to be here, Jiji," she admitted, "Akiaya-chan forced me into it."

Akiaya was blushing now, though you couldn't see it through her face-paint, and it only intensified when she saw the thankful smile on her Hokage's face.

"I thank you for befriending little Nahiko," the old man stated, "It shows a lot in your character. I've looked forward to meeting you for some time now, Akiaya-chan, and if this is just the beginning of who you are, then I believe you're going to be great one day."

Now you could see the blush through the face-paint.

Dinner was a pleasant affair and Tauru was surprised to learn that Nahiko's manners weren't understated by his daughter, but considering her relationship with the Hokage, it wasn't entirely unexpected.

The night was coming to a close, and the three adults insisted that the young blonde stay with the Rein Clan for the night. After tucking her into bed, the Hokage was about to make his own way home when Tauru stopped him at the gate.

"Do you mind if I tell you a little story, Hokage-sama? It's one I was told when I was still a boy."

The old man didn't need to be an experienced ninja to know there was depth behind those words.

"Of course you can, Tauru-san. I've always been interested in hearing new stories."

The dark haired man cleared his throat.

"Not such a long time ago," the clan head began, "There were two clans living amongst eachother...the clans of Monsoon and Maelstrom."

The Hokage merely let out a small hum; Tauru took this as a sign to continue.

"For some reason...these two clans possessed their own unique Kekkei Genkai...but this isn't the strangest of it," Tauru continued, "The strange part is that merely being in the others presence forced their dormant bloodlines to awaken."

The Hokage's eyes widened: not even he had heard of such a thing.

"An interesting story, Tauru-san," the Hokage complimented, "I would be interested in hearing more if you're willing."

"Of course, Hokage-sama," the man replied. "This story takes place when the two clans were dancing among the waning eddies. They were keeping up as best they could, but one day the eddies were gone, and the Maelstrom Clan disappeared beside them.

"The Monsoon Clan, though it cried bladed tears, could do nothing to bring its other half back, and justice could not be sought...the dance was over."

"I see..." the Hokage stated unflinchingly, "Then this is a sad tale?"

"From the beginning one might think so," the Rein Clan head corrected, "But allow me to continue, Hokage-sama...and this part you must listen to carefully."

The gray-haired man nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Many worlds were transversed before the Monsoon Clan felt a sense of familiarity long lost, but as they settled down after their long journey, they realized it was not a good sense. It was all too late they learned that the land bathed in Mist was also soaked in blood.

"Their clan was attacked countless times...and their numbers slowly dropped; less than a year after their journey into the Mist, their numbers had been halved. They could no longer afford to sit still, and so they became nomads.

"But even as nomads the Monsoon Clan suffered losses and were soon dwindled to merely an eighth of their original size. But when times seemed their darkest, a herald long missed arrived from the land of the burning leaves. It seemed a single member from the Maelstrom Clan had finished the dance among the eddies and was now housed in Fire."

The Hokage could tell where this was going, but then again, it was just a story; one told by the most powerful ninja of the Rein Clan.

"And then...after so many years of torment and being without their other half, the Monsoon Clan vacated the Mist for the Fire...but merely days before they arrived...a poison appeared. The plague infected the lands surrounding the Fire and the very wood within it, taking away its potential to burn furiously and leaving it with nothing but embers. The very Shadow of the Fire took to eliminating this poison, but the best it could do was force it away into the only piece of wood it could find that would hold it.

Unfortunately, the Fire lost many of it's inhabitants that day...and the one that affected the Monsoon the most was the loss of the last known member of the Maelstrom. It seemed that fate willed their dance completed."

"I see..." the Hokage tipped his hat slightly.

"Until one day...some day very recent in fact, a single eddie was found, and a small raincloud found it and began to grow off of it. Only time will tell how much furthur it will grow."

"That is a very enlightening story, Tauru-san. I thank you for telling it to me, but I must be off. A Hokage's work is never done."

"Of course, Hokage-sama, and do enjoy your evening."

"I'll expect the adoption papers soon."

Tauru smiled to himself. It seemed the Hokage hadn't missed a beat of his story.

"As surely as the rain falls."

A man stood among the slain forces, his own body completely untouched and the bodies around him stained the ground.

"What...are you?" a man with an orange mask and a black cloak choked out as he held the bleeding stump that used to be his left arm.

The man grabbed the Akatsuki member by the throat and, try as he might, he couldn't break the man's grip. His mask fell to the ground and the man did the only thing left he could think of: he activated his sharingan and attempted a tsukiyomi...and promply failed. With a loud crack, Uchiha Madara, the most powerful sharingan wielder in the history of his clan, fell dead.

"I am Restel."

Golden eyes shone in the twilight as the man opened them for the first time in days.

"The Demon's awake."

He stood from his meditation and began his journey, his long, blood-red hair flowing with the wind.


End file.
